We Aten’t Ded*

If you have been checking back regularly, you might have A: been disappointed when we did, after all, go dark, and B: noticed that we edited our last post to reflect that we would indeed be going mostly dark.

Life. It gets in the way, doesn’t it?

We have lots to say today, so we’ve numbered it for easy navigation. If you are in the tl;dr camp (because you need to pack cardigans and shoes for ALA, perhaps?), you’ll probably find 2 and 5 the most exciting. Certainly we do!

1. We’re not dead!

2. Changes! We like to keep it fresh, so…

Change number one is a sad one: Sophie has left us for greener pastures (have you checked out the #readadv Twitter chat she co-hosts with Liz (@LizB) of A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy and Kelly (@catagator) of Stacked? It’s awesome!). Because the reading list didn’t leave with her, we have a second staffing change, this one happy: Joy Piedmont, my colleague and our go-to pinch-hitter last year, has agreed to step in and do a bit more for us this year, while Sarah, thanks to the aforementioned life thing, might be writing a bit less (that’s change 2a, if you’re keeping count, and it’s a sad change for a happy reason).

(Don’t tell her I let the cat out of the bag, but there’s a new baby on the way! Feel free to send picture books and/or well-wishes.)

This year is looking a little less glutted with brilliance than last year, which is too bad but also sort of a relief, so we should be able to stay on top of things despite all this people shuffling, although we also have a fallback/ancillary plan (which is item 3 AND change 3. Go me and my numbering system):

3. We’d like to also formally issue an invitation to any interested parties to guest post in defense of a top Printz** pick. It can be a title we are already planning to write about or have already written about, or a book we haven’t heard of, or a book we read but dismissed summarily and didn’t write up at all — the important thing is that, like the RealCommittee whose work we are shadowing and modeling and pretending to be sort of similar to, we need more voices if we want to really do a fair job covering all the books that are potential long-listers.

(Thanks and a shout-out to Emily H. who suggested this form for guest bloggers, because it’s much better than the model we tried last year. Or it will be, if anyone takes us up on it.)

Posts can be any length but need to be thoughtful, critical write-ups. Leave a comment or email me at the address provided on the About page if you’re interested and we’ll tawk.

4. We’re headed to ALA! Sarah is already in Chicago, and I’ll be there Friday night (which, whoops, is already tomorrow!); Sophie will also be there but Joy sadly will not. Will we see you there? Will we fight you for the last copy of a galley? Let us know if you will be at ALA, if you want to meet up and place RealPrintz 2014 bets under the table, and what books you spot or snag that looks amazing.

5. Titles! Because really, the only reason we ever tried to not take the off season off was to make it possible for anyone who was interested to read more or less the same list of books as what we’ll be covering on Someday.

So today we are releasing the pre-contenda list!

The pre-contender list has three main categories and is ripe for discussion.

Our categories are 3-or-more stars; new books by previous winners and honorees of the RealPrintz; and buzz, which is a catchall for books we have heard things about from others, or are looking forward to ourselves, or that were really appealing at a preview. Many of the buzz books are fall pubs and might move to the 3-or-more stars list once reviews come out, but for now we’re calling them buzz books; similarly, some new books by previous Printzers also have three-or-more stars, but we consider the author’s previous work the more pressing reason to have these on the list so they are in that category for our purposes.

You might have noticed that as in the past, we are automatically including any book with 3 or more stars at this point.

BUT — change 4 — we don’t swear they’ll make the final contender list, which we’ll release in September, nor — change 4a — that we’ll review every three-star book at length. As we discussed last summer, there are books that get — and deserve! — lots of stars that just aren’t seriously in the running, and we don’t want to pick those books apart. So we’ll look at everything with three or more stars, but we might not write about them all.

A final process note: we are avoiding everyone else’s blogs in an attempt to not be swayed by the opinions of others before we read books for ourselves, but a few places we want to be reading reviews? The already referenced Tea Cozy and Stacked, and Mark and Sarah Flowers’ Cross-Referencing. If you know any other sources we should be avoiding and then later reading avidly, let us know.

So without further ado (because there’s been a lot of ado in this here post already), here’s the list. We want to hear your thoughts: What’s missing? What needs to be added? What have you read already?

*Pratchett reference and obligatory footnote. See Urban Dictionary for the explanation, or you could just read Lords and Ladies.

**The Pyrite Printz, or Pyrite, is the Someday My Printz Will Come mock Printz deliberation, and should not in any way be confused with YALSA’s Michael L. Printz Award, often referred to here as the RealPrintz or Printz. Our predictions, conversations, and speculation about potential RealPrintz contenders and winners reflect only our own best guesses and are not affiliated with YALSA or the RealPrintz committee. You probably figured that out on your own, but we like to make it clear!

Karyn Silverman is the High School Librarian and Educational Technology Department Chair at LREI, Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School (say that ten times fast!). Karyn has served on YALSA’s Quick Picks and Best Books committees and was a member of the 2009 Printz committee. She has reviewed for Kirkus and School Library Journal. She has a lot of opinions about almost everything, as long as all the things are books. Said opinions do not reflect the attitudes or opinions of SLJ, LREI, YALSA or any other institutions with which she is affiliated. Find her on Twitter @InfoWitch or e-mail her at karynsilverman at gmail dot com.

Comments

Yay! New post! I will be at ALA and hope to see some of you all there! Probably my favorite of the year so far is Mind Games, but I do not see it going very far for the Printz. I agree Doll Bones is too young, but think it has an excellent shot at the Newbery. I enjoyed both Dark Triumph and Etiquette & Espionage, but thought Mind Games was better than both easily. Of the few I’ve read so far, I think Uses for Boys has the best chance. Still so much to read though!

Great to have you back! I really look forward to the posts on this blog and the discussion on the top Printz contenders. Thanks for the contender list.

The strongest books I’ve seen so far are MAGGOT MOON and MIDWINTERBLOOD. Really strong writing from both of these with so much to think about.

My 2nd tier would be YAQUI DELGADO, WINGER, and THE 5TH WAVE.

I don’t see ETIQUETTE & ESPIONAGE, MIND GAMES, or OUT OF THE EASY as strong enough. QUINTANA OF CHARYN was magnificent but had major plot issues due to not standing on its own. DOLL BONES was also fantastic but is definitely more Newbery.

Very excited about taking a look at Patrick Ness’ MORE THAN THIS, Wein’s ROSE UNDER FIRE, and Holly Black’s THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN.

YAQUI DELGADO really developed its themes well, all of which related to family, friendship, and most importantly bullying. It’s pretty shocking to watch basically every aspect of the main character’s life disintegrate due to just the specter of her bully. And the characters were so strong and real. Piddy is great, her changes are dramatic but believable. But I’ve never seen a secondary character quite like Yaqui. She’s rarely actually in the story, but she casts a huge, dark shadow over the entire thing that has such a dramatic and foreboding effect. The tension that is always there created by her and what she may do is so well done. I did have a problem with the romance subplot which didn’t seem to drive the story forward, and that’s the only thing keeping it from my top group.

REALITY BOY and MORTAL FIRE are both very good, but not the amazing books that these authors have written before. COLDEST GIRL didn’t particularly impress me; it’s enjoyable but I didn’t find the writing, characterization, or worldbuilding to be noteable. It started as a short story and may have been better off staying that way.

But I’ve also started-and-abandoned several books on the list. Granted, that’s when reading for me rather than reading for Printzliness, and some I may just not have been in the mood for, but I just wasn’t hooked by THE 5TH WAVE; 17 & GONE; or PAPER VALENTINES. PV was a while ago and I don’t entirely remember why it didn’t work for me, but with 5TH and 17&G I felt like they were telling rather than showing and they were delaying the start of the actual story.

Please seek out The Kingdom of Little Wounds by Susann Cokal (Candlewick). I was lucky enough to be an early reader, and the book rearranged my mental furniture in the best way. What a delight–if a seismic shock can be delightful. It’s become my measure of “book.”

Thanks to ALA and a few envelopes that arrived while I was gone, I have a nice pile to keep me busy over the next few weeks. My top books so far are probably Mortal Fire (but this is a heart reaction and I need to read it again from the head), Maggot Moon (although I have about 70 pages left) and maybe Midwinterblood, which I thought had much to admire and much that didn’t work and I’m still thinking through where I think it ultimately falls.

But there are so many books I haven’t read yet!

What else is bubbling to the top so far for people? ALA is done so let’s have at it!

I absolutely loved Eleanor & Park. I am not sure it contains ‘winner’ material but i am hoping it goes quite far in the discussion process. I would like to read it again.
The Lucy Variations, Maggot Moon, and Etiquette & Espionage are all on my cool list. These books seem to fall in a middle category for me.

I really enjoy the discussion on this blog. I use it often as a go to when I am stuck on what to read next. I am currently taking a mini-break from A Corner Of White. I have Winger waiting patiently.

Karyn, please sell me on MORTAL FIRE. I’ve read about 100 pages and am basically actively avoiding any attempts to read any more. I’m just not enjoying it at all and I don’t really foresee it getting any better. Should I really keep persevering?

I’m a little bit late to this party, but I wonder how BOXERS and SAINTS (or BOXERS AND SAINTS?) will be considered, particularly after the box-of-tiny-stories that was BUILDING STORIES last year. Is it one work, or are they two works? I don’t think you can buy one without the other, and they were pretty clearly intended to be read together–but are there guidelines about separate volumes in the same original box?

Very excited about BOXERS & SAINTS. I understand why series books are difficult to consider. The delay of publication makes it difficult. (How does one evaluate an unfinished thing? Is it the best book for YA 2012 or 2014?) But this is a finished work, ready to go. I anticipate an exceptional reading experience.

Regarding Boxers & Saints, they will definitely be considered as two separate works.

I’m really looking forward to the virtual discussion of “Midwinterblood”. I don’t think “Eleanor & Park” will go the distance in terms of literary quality, but I’d love to be proven wrong. I think you can safely take “Etiquette & Espionage” off the table completely. While a fun YA read, there’s nothing literary about it, in my opinion. I feel the same about “Dark Triumph”.

I’m really glad someone mentioned “The Kingdom of Little Wounds”. I have it on my Kindle now and really like it.

Thanks, Meghan, and sorry I missed your comment for a month. As an independent work, I still think BOXERS stands up to Printz scrutiny, and SAINTS less so. But I read them in that order–not sure how I’d feel if I read SAINTS first.

I’m also looking forward to discussing MIdwinterblood because I didn’t care much for it. (I’m equally looking forward to discussing Winger because, to me, the last section completely changed what kind of book it was, and I didn’t like what it became.)

Midwinterblood is at the top of my list right now. I loved Eleanor & Park, The Lucy Variations, and Out of the Easy, but I’m not sure if any of them fully live up to Printz standards. I also really loved Etiquette & Espionage, but I don’t think it has a chance at all. I have Maggot Moon, Winger, Boxers, Saints, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, The Kingdom of Little Wounds, Far Far Away and Rose Under Fire all sitting on my shelf or on my kindle waiting to be read… I better get reading!

If you’re still looking for people to write guest posts, I’d be interested. I don’t have any specific book in mind yet though.

I think in terms of style and story that Far Far Away is the strongest Printz candidate so far (and is quite a page turner once the story gets going).

But I don’t think the rest are “contenders”…though it would be wonderful if Fangirl receives consideration. Its out-of-the-ordinary characters are memorable and the various narratives mesh organically. (Gave my ARC to a high-schooler who is heavily into fan fiction; she loved it) Liked this much more than Eleanor and Park.

Dark Triumph was OK; an improvement over the first in the series, which had the flavor of an adult romance. Didn’t think much of Etiquette and Espionage (even though I like steampunk in general). I was not impressed by Out of the Easy’s use of a New Orleans brothel as “local color” in a typical girl-faces-adversity-but-succeeds tale. Winger had a charming main character and cool rugby highlights, but its conclusion was more abrupt and of-the-moment than was good for the story (and the first-person-narrative turned tedious). 5th Wave is just a fairly standard made-for-the-movies thriller; why the hype?

It’s kind of hard for me to judge Dream Thieves, because I can’t help but compare it to Stiefvater’s Scorpio Races, one of my all-time favorite books. I thought this second book in her new series was considerably more conventional in plot and character than the first (with a bit too much tidying up of plotlines at the end), a disappointment since one finished the first book intrigued by the characters, setting, and quest. Too many questions were answered, too easily, in book two.

The conflicted teen pianist who is the main character in the Lucy Variations was not very compelling (poor little rich girls seldom are); I much preferred reading about the traumatized teen pianist in the terrific Sea of Tranquility – which has no shot whatsoever at a Printz!.

Maggot Moon, with its multiple British awards, clearly resonates with British readers, who historically did have to face the spectre of a fascist invasion (the setting of this novel). But to me, the main character seemed too (young and) naive to react to his environment as he did AND credibly conceive and carry out the plot that provides the narrative structure of the book. Add to this a fair amount of gratuitous, graphic violence and creepy illustrations and you wonder if this is the stuff of nightmares (and I do not mean that as a compliment).

To me, Yaqui Delgado has a glaring hole in the narrative. Delgado, the bullying protagonist, orchestrates a series of escalating attacks against the main character, Piddy Sanchez. Of course everyone rallies around the feisty Piddy. No surprises there. But why the over-the-top physical attacks from a complete stranger in the first place? Question never asked or answered (instead, there there was a suspicious congruence with the travails of Piddy’s boyfriend’s mother; plot contrivance?)

Midwinterblood, a most elegant book in its narrative structure and its writing. But what makes this a book for young adults?

And Quintana of Charyn? A beautifully constructed conclusion to a fabulous fantasy trilogy. What I found most memorable about the Lumatere Chronicles was the emotional intensity – how love for friends, family, country motivated the characters. But since Quintana combines and explains the characters from the first two books, I guess it cannot “stand alone”, which hurts its chances for a Printz.

I wil be reading (I may be way too ambitious) A Corner of White, Boxers/Saints, Hostage 3, Rose Under Fire, Charm and Strange, The Coldest GIrl in Coldtown, Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock, Mind Games, Zebra Forest, Kingdom of Little Wounds. Hope there’s a Printz lying in there somewhere! Thanks for the recommendations.

I’ve read a couple books — both Australian titles that are/have been pubbed stateside now — I think might be real contenders.

First: The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarsky. I think this is a dark horse. It’s slight, not even 200 pages, and the main characters are VERY young. They’re below what we’d consider YA age, but the book itself is published as YA. The story follows as a classroom of girls and their teacher go on a field trip to a local park and the teacher never returns. It’s set during the Vietnam War, and the teacher has a thing for one of the young men who decided not to enlist and instead, spends his time in the park. The central question of the story is what happened to the teacher that day, but the bigger question is what is history and who gets to decide the outcomes?

Second: Friday Never Leaving by Vikki Wakefield. This one is about a girl who lived her life as a wanderer with her mother, but when her mother dies from cancer, the girl goes it alone. She meets a group of street kids who are squatting in a house, and the story goes from there. The writing is outstanding in this one.

I don’t think the committee will rule out a book if it “feels” too old or too young. As long as a title is published YA, it is considered. Outstanding literary quality is what they’re going to be looking at more than anything else.

Although some committees have put appeal on their list of criteria, which the rules allow for, and could mean that books that are too young or too old (Kingdom of Little Wounds, I’m looking at you) could be knocked out early. But we can’t know what any given committee will weigh and how heavily they’ll weigh what they do weigh, so…

(We’ll pound out our own criteria soon, but I tend to be pretty loud about NOT using appeal, because I really do think for every book there are readers.)

Mary Hopkinson-Dean, I have had the experience of being targeted with violence by a specific girl for no reason I could understand; it’s a thing that does happen, although I think the book possibly works less well *as literature* because of the apparent lack of motivation. (I think Yaqui Delgado is a very fine book but not quite in my top tier of contenders.)

My top tier is:

Eleanor and Park — Beautifully drawn characters, the emotional intensity of first love, but without shying away from poverty and abuse and really dark stuff. It’s a book full of the heroism of love.

Midwinterblood — I love the prose, and the elegance of the intertwining stories, and the fact that it looks for other stories of love and sacrifice beyond the most obvious ones.

Rose Under Fire — The plot isn’t as tightly constructed as Code Name Verity, but it’s excellent in its depiction of Rose as a developing poet (who likes specific poets and specific poems, unlike a lot of the dreamy wannabe poets in YA — and who writes GOOD poetry) and how it talks about friendship, and survival, and mutual support, and bearing witness to the truth.

Black Helicopters — It’s all about the voice. Intense and gorgeous and hits you in the gut.

The Lucy Variations — I thought that the depiction of the relationship between Lucy and Will was really strong, with lots of ambiguity and fault on both sides, and an acknowledgement of how people can push you forward and let you down at the same time; and the relationship between Lucy and Gus was great.

Far, Far Away — Old-fashioned in a good way. Beautifully written, never *too* quirky or too twee or too sweet or too sad or too cynical.

Emily, thank you for pointing out the obvious but too often overlooked, which is that fiction needs to be truer than true. Reality frequently seems unbelievable, and even more so when it’s in the midst of a work of literature, which has obligations other than reality.

Finished reading The Lord of Opium, sequel to The House of the Scorpion. It has been some time since I read Scorpion – but my memories of Farmer’s book – it blew me away! – may have influenced my first impressions the sequel. Has anyone read this?

Haven’t gotten to a lot of contenders yet but so far but from what I have read. Black Helicopters, Far Far Away and Corner of White stand out. I loved both Boxers and Saints but as individual works they seem incomplete. Loaned out my ALA arc of Lord of Opium and need to hunt it down asap.
I enjoyed Rose Under Fire (not as much as CNV) but found myself skimming through much of Rose’s poetry. Just grabbed Frost’s SALT the other day has anyone read it? YA or MG?

Out of curiousity, did you read RUF in physical or e form? I read a netgalley, and the formatting–or lack thereof–was really problematic. I might’ve skimmed some of the poetry anyway, but not having it formatted right definitely hurt my ability to read and appreciate it as poetry.

Finally got my spreadsheet updated through the end of August – I’ve been a little extra busy changing jobs this summer (Got the YA position at my library when our previous YA librarian moved! I suspect I will miss my babies from baby storytime and 3rd-5th grade kids from my book club, but looking forward to working with our teens!). I can’t believe nothing yet this year has received 6 stars – feels completely different from last year – I feel like there’s a ton of things getting 2 stars, but much less overall consensus than last year.

I think, as always, there’s several of these that will be excluded because they seem too young – despite their reviews going up through age 12 or higher.

4 star titles:
Boxers by Yang
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Black
A Corner of White by Moriarty
Courage Has No Color by Stone
Dark Triumph by LaFevers
Emancipation Proclamation by Bolden
Etiquette & Espionage by Carriger
Flora & Ulysses by DiCamillo
Jinx by Blackwood
Look Up! Bird Watching in Your Own Backyard by Cate
The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr
Navigating Early by Vanderpool
One Came Home by Timberlake
Poems to Learn By Heart ed. by Kennedy
Saints by Yang
The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Appelt
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Medina